The Kabola winery in Momjan, in the northern part of Istria, Croatia, is a family business that dates back to 1978, when Marino Markežić opened a family-run trattoria. At the time, wine production was a sideline. Over the years, producing wine required more of the family’s time and the winery business soon had to be run separately.
Today, the winery is a successful separate business, run by Marino and his wife Patricija. The company owns or rents around 200 000 m² of land covered with vineyards and a few olive trees. The modern cellar and the family estate building are located in the middle of the plantation, which produces 90 000 to 100 000 litres of wine annually. Everything grown is organic. In 2011, Kabola produced its first wine through maceration and storage in clay amphorae, or jugs, reviving a thousand-year-old method. The wine, called Malvazija Amfora Kabola, is the company’s most valuable product.
The objective of the assignment was to improve the company’s sales by strengthening its planning and control functions. A consultant identified the market potential and said a horizontal integration strategy is the best approach. As a result, Kabola started the first phase of the project — the expansion of production and warehouse capacity. This will be followed by the development of hotel and catering services for the wine tourism business.